These Hokey Pokey Biscuits are a New Zealand classic! Made with only 4 basic ingredients… they’re quick, easy and so delicious.
When I was little, my Mum used to make Hokey Pokey biscuits all the time. If you’re from New Zealand (like Mum is), then you’ll be super familiar with the deliciousness that is hokey pokey. Whenever we would go over to New Zealand to visit my granddad, the very first thing we would do (after stopping to buy L&P at Paeroa that is), would be to go to the supermarket and buy a tub of hokey pokey ice cream. Back then you couldn’t buy it in Australia, so it was a super exciting thing!
Now I’m pretty sure that Mum’s hokey pokey recipe was either a family handwritten one or from the Edmund’s cookbook. Either way, I couldn’t track the original down! But these 4 Ingredient Hokey Pokey Biscuits are just as good as I remember. They are a little bit different from Mum’s traditional recipe which was made with milk – but otherwise they’re pretty spot on!
If you haven’t ever tried hokey pokey, it’s like a yummy caramel-type flavour (the ice cream is filled with little honeycomb toffee balls… YUM!). But these biscuits get their beautiful caramel flavour from the brown sugar and golden syrup.
Oooh and I nearly forgot to mention that these are quite possibly the easiest biscuits you’ll ever make. You only need one saucepan (or one Thermomix bowl), a sieve and a spoon… there’s no beaters or anything fancy involved at all. Love, love, love that!
I like my hokey pokey biscuits to be quite thick and soft, so I usually only press the dough balls down lightly and then cook them for no longer than 10 minutes. If you prefer your biscuits harder and flatter, just press the dough balls down a bit more before baking (but remember that they will still spread) and cook for a couple of extra minutes.
After I baked this batch of hokey pokey biscuits, I remembered that Mum used to use a fork to press hers down before baking, which gave them a lovely appearance (I must, MUST remember to do that next time… bummer!) It’s so annoying when you remember those little tidbits of information too late!!
Anyway, the New Zealander’s certainly know how to make great stuff – hokey pokey biscuits, fish and chips, lolly Eskimos and chocolate marshmallow fish… but my favourite New Zealand export, is of course, my mum.
xxx
4 Ingredient Hokey Pokey Biscuits
Ingredients
- 60 g unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup (115g) golden syrup
- ⅓ cup (60g) brown sugar
- 1½ cup (225g) self-raising flour sifted
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
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Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
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Melt the butter, golden syrup and brown sugar together in a saucepan over low heat.
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Stir until all of the sugar has dissolved.
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Set aside to cool.
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Sift the self-raising flour on top of the caramel liquid.
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Stir until a soft dough forms.
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Form tablespoon sized balls with the dough and place onto the baking trays.
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Press down lightly with a fork.
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Bake for 10 minutes or until just golden.
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Leave on the baking trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days (the cookies will soften over time).
4 Ingredient Hokey Pokey Biscuits - Thermomix Method
Ingredients
- 60 g unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup (115g) golden syrup
- ⅓ cup (60g) brown sugar
- 1½ cup (225g) self-raising flour sifted
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
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Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
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Place the butter, golden syrup and brown sugar into the TM bowl.
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Melt for 2 minutes, Speed 2, 80 degrees.
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Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
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Melt for a further 2 minutes, Speed 2, 80 degrees.
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Leave to cool slightly.
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Add the self-raising flour to the TM bowl and mix on Speed 2 for 20 seconds.
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Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat.
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Form tablespoon sized balls with the dough and place onto the baking trays.
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Press down lightly with a fork.
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Bake for 10 minutes or until just golden.
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Leave on the baking trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days (the cookies will soften over time).
I’ve never tried a hokey pokey biscuit, or hokey-pokey-flavoured anything for that matter, actually! I guess I need to get up to speed on NZ cuisine! 😉 The part about your Mum is so sweet Lucy, and the fact that she passed this recipe on to you too 🙂 Mums are just the best!
YASS! Hokey pokey ice cream is the BEST! I love to get a scoop from baskins and robbins. I’ve never heard of hokey pokey biscuits tho – they sounds glorious!
How good are you making Hokey Pokey biscuits with a babe in arms. I am so impressed! Hope it’s all going well for you!
My husband is a Kiwi and also raves about Hokey Pokey icecream…and cream donuts and eskimos and Kiwi dip (yum!) and well, tons of other stuff. When we went back recently, I discovered Goody Gum Drops Icecream which is the most amazing ( and green) bubble gum flavoured Icecream with lollies through it. Words can’t do it justice and we went through too many tubs of it while we were there. Will try these bikkies for my husband – NZ is certainly a great great nation!
Oooh I’m going to have to try the Goody Gum Drops Ice-Cream next time! Thanks for the tip!
Oh these look ace, and only four ingredients too! I haven’t been to NZ… yet but when I do I’m totally having some of those exotic lolly eskimos you speak of!
These sound so easy but so delicious! i love golden syrup in baking – so good.
My mum always used a fork to flatten biscuits – but we never had hokey pokey biscuits – in fact I thought hokey pokey was another name for honeycomb – not I wonder if I need to search it out to find out what it tastes like – or try these biscuits
these look adorable! Love a family recipe.
Made these today! Devine and super easy. Yummo!
That’s so great to hear!
My co worker recently bought over bag of hokey pokey chocolates and I love the idea of a biscuit! And that its only four ingredients!
p.s Looking forward to the return of Fabulous Foodie Fridays- miss it!
Oooh yum! They sound great!! Haha yep we’re both a bit busy at the moment with my little one – and Lauren due soon – but hopefully we’ll get back to Fabulous Foodie Fridays at some stage soon!
Haha yes I figured the bub was keeping you busy! And how exciting for Lauren 🙂
They look so good fork holes or not. i love your New Zealand memories . my Mum actually made these once or twice before passing them over to us to make.
I have to buy L&P for my husband every week! He often talks about Hokey Pokey. I will have to make these for him. They sound so easy too!
Oh you’ll be wife of the year for sure!!!
Made these this morning for a play date as I’m my sons friend has egg and nut allergy. The house smells Devine. Thank tiu for sharing. And I too forgot the fork marks!!!
Hehehe I think the fork marks get forgotten because we all get so excited by the cookies! So glad you enjoyed them xx
4 ingredient hokey pokey – yes to all thanks!
I’m a Kiwi, and I just love hokey pokey. When I was a small child back in the 60s I would help my mum to make hokey pokey biscuits nearly every week! I don’t have my mum’s old handwritten recipe book any more because after she passed away and my dad needed home help a few years later the helper threw all her recipe books away. Looking at this recipe I think I can remember it though. I’m going to try it, and if it’s successful, I’ll post the recipe here for you. Mums recipe used milk too so it’s possibly the one your mum used.
The flavour isn’t exactly caramel or toffe – it’s close, but it’s just unique! Its flavour comes from the reaction of the baking soda with the warm, melted golden syrup. Oh how I loved the way it would change colour in an instant and froth up so lightly golden! Mum also used to make Sultana biscuits. They were the almost identical recipe but they had sultanas in them, and you didn’t let the baking soda reaction happen. When I was helping mum I would alway try to get away with making them like the hokey pokey biscuits by quickly doing that step when she wasn’t watching me! Ah, such happy memories!
Hi Anne, that is just so lovely!!! Oh no about all of the old recipe books being thrown out though – they are so precious. At least you have the great memories! Mmm the sultana biscuits sound so good too!
Hi
Could I substitute honey for golden syrup? Thank you
Oooh good question!! I personally haven’t done that before… but you could always try!
How could you do this to me!! They are too easy and too delicious. (As I smoosh a third hokey pokey biscuit in to my mouth in 10 minutes)
Hehehehe I know!!! It’s just terrible, right!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! xx
I used your recipe and loved it. However, since your mum was a kiwi, perhaps this is or is similar to her recipe: http://edmondscooking.co.nz/recipes/biscuits/hokey-pokey-biscuits/
The edmonds cookbook was a staple in Nz kitchens…
Hi Krystal! Aha yes I think that must be it!!! I need to order myself one of the Edmonds cookbooks!!!
hi does the butter have to be unsalted? wanting to try now but only have normal butter
thanks
Hi Louise, you can use salted butter if you like! xx